1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to apparatus for measuring the conductivity of liquids and more specifically to a portable solid state device for indicating the amount of contaminant salts in a sample of water.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In hospitals and laboratories, as well as in many maintenance and manufacturing situations, a need exists for a portable, easy to use device which measures with accuracy the amount of contaminated salts in samples of water. Prior devices have been developed which required skilled technicians to operate the equipment for any accuracy. Similarly, the equipment had to be continuously adjusted to assure its accuracy. Most devices of the prior art were somewhat large and bulky and thus inconvenient to carry and use except for isolated incidences and short distances. Thus a need exists for an instrument to measure the amount of contaminants in a water sample which may be easily carried, for example in the shirt pocket of the operator.
It is well known that the measure of the conductivity of water is proportional to the quantity of ionizable dissolved solids, which is in turn, proportional to the impurity content of the water. The measuring of contaminant content by conductivity is the most accurate measurement.
The prior art is generally measured the conductivity between two probes which are one leg of a bridge circuit. The bridge circuits of the prior art require the operation thereof by a skilled operator as well as numerous readjustments to keep the bridge in balance.